It can be stopped

To the Editor:

I bet most of you reading this know what I’m talking about already — the overdevelopment/touristation of Martha’s Vineyard. It’s the elephant in the room nobody (with authority) is willing to stop. To paraphrase an old saying, “The way to [stop] an elephant is one bite at a time.” So which “authority” will have the conviction to be true to its charge and take the first bite out of “the elephant” by stopping the so-called Ocean View rebuild?

For those who don’t already know, this project calls for a three-story, 26-room hotel with a pool and fire pit. The main floor will include a small dining room and bar for guests only. All that sits atop a full basement with living quarters, housing a small apartment for the manager, living space for several workers, a kitchen, and a laundry. 

Now all this sounds very nice, and I’m sure the building would be very well done. But picture this: You live in a quiet neighborhood, and the house next door to you and the one next to it burn down, and a developer buys the two lots and drops this mini-resort right there next door. How do you suppose that would impact you and your neighborhood? Things like this are happening on M.V. and will continue to happen until some “authority” says “Stop.” That will only happen if enough of us say we want it to stop. You don’t stop the elephant by feeding it; you stop feeding it.

If you want to be a part of stopping the insane growth here on M.V., show up at the MVC continuation hearing on this project on Thursday Oct. 23, at 6:30 pm, or go to its website and Zoom into the meeting. Your support would be most welcome.

Toni Dorsey

Oak Bluffs